We were so excited to get to visit Colorado’s newest Troll creation from Thomas Dambo. Rita the Rock Planter is in the small mining town of Victor Colorado and is a fun, easy hike.

Rita is very easy to find, you can take the Little Grouse Mountain Trail and follow the bird houses. Park in the lower lot to get a 2 mile hike in. If you would like easier access you can drive up the hill, park at the top for a short, flat-ish walk to see Rita. Also the hike is dog friendly, Humphry hated his jacket but liked seeing Rita.

There is a lot of historical information and artifacts about Victor and it’s mining roots.

The kids loved exploring the the mining equipment.

Walking out to see Rita was amazing.

She is stunning.

A bonus of visiting Rita this winter is that she is only 10 minutes from Cripple Creek, where Colorado’s Ice Castles are this year!

Have you gotten to visit any of Thomas’ trolls? We love Isak Heartstone in Breckenridge and we can’t wait to visit Mama Mimi in Jackson Hole.

Are you still looking to buy gifts for the adventurous Mom on your list? Or still needing to give ideas for your own adventurous self to loved ones? Here is a list of things I have and love or are on my list for this year!

1. REI DAY PACK

I love this pack for hiking! It is so comfortable and I can carry everything I need for a hike with my littles.

2. BOOTS

I have had these boot for 15 years and they are still amazing. They are waterproof, warm and have great tread. I love these for winter hiking, snowshoeing and just around town in the snow.

3. BIRKENSTOCK BOSTON

These are my favorite post adventure shoes to throw on when my hiking shoes are too dirty for the car.

4. PEEPERS SUNGLASSES

These glasses are so lightweight and comfortable. They can be ordered with a prescription if that is something you would like.

5. STANLEY FLIP TOP

I know this water bottle seems over hyped but I think it lives up to it. I have the 30 oz and the kids have the 20 oz size. The best part is they don’t leak!

6. PUFFER JACKET

I love a good puffer that keeps me warm on cold Colorado days but is also light and packs down small. The colors on this one are so cute.

7. THE NORTH FACE BEANIE

This is my favorite beanie, the one I almost always reach for. It’s warm cute and comfy!

8. ICE SPIKES

Getting out and still being able to hike saves me in the winter. These spikes are great for packed or icy trails. I use these may more than my snow shoes.

9. HOKA TRAIL SHOES

I love these trail shoes for hiking and trail running. I have put many miles on these and always love them!

I wanted to let you know that some of the links on this page may be affiliate links! By purchasing through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

It’s been a long time since I updated this little blog as a daily journal. It’s been a bit all over the place. I LOVE having my daily (boring) blogs for myself to look back on for previous years, but I also would like to have this be a resource for families looking for travel inspiration, Colorado adventure ideas and a resource for getting out with kids. So really I just need to organize this little site better. Hoping I can get it set up sometime in 2024!

So life lately has been quiet, and a little sad. When I look back on November we did a lot of fun things but it’s all clouded by our sweet pup Humphry getting sick.

Here is some fun that we got up to in November:

Lot’s of 5k training for the kids and I, we loved working up to our Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.

Getting our ski gear for the season and eating empanadas has become a tradition!

Ending our soccer season with practices at sunset.

Amusement parks with friends.

Enjoying the magic of watching these kids learn is the greatest joy of my life!

Basketball camp for Cannon, Emmy was jealous and wants to join in next time we find a camp!

Taking the kids to the North Pole to visit Santa.

Camping at one of our favorite “winter” spots.

Hiking to see Colorado’s newest Troll, Rita was a very cool experience.

Making Thanksgiving pies and decorating little bedrooms for Christmas.

Finishing our first family 5k (where no one was pushed in a stroller).

A little sledding and a lot of puppy cuddling.

We aren’t sure what the future looks like for our little family, and we are taking these the best we can day by day now. It’s good to look back on all the happy moments there were in November.

How was your November?

We had a quiet low key morning, making Thanksgiving pies.

It’s really fun how much the kids can help in the kitchen.

We were scheduled to go see the movie Wish with friends but stayed home to take care of Humphry who hasn’t been well.

While I worked on putting away, so much laundry, the kids decorated the Christmas trees in their rooms. We did break out of the house to get some outside time and take the kids to the bike park. I am so impressed by how brave these kids are.

We spent the night with friends celebrating their youngest turning 7. I met this little guy when he was just two months old, time really flies.

We got home way too late since we have to get up early for a little Turkey Trot. After the kids fell asleep I had my nightly tea in my new favorite mug.

We are big fans of experiences over things in our family, we love an adventure big or small!

That being said some of these great adventures take *things* to make them go smoothly. So here are some of our favorites from our little adventure kiddos.

Gift Ideas for Adventurous Kiddos:

1. Hiking Shoes – We have had many sizes of Merrell hiking shoes and we love them, they are great for around town and technical hikes. They have lasted being handed down multiple times.
2. Storage Clipboard – My kids love to draw so these are great for keeping paper and pens handy on trips and on the go.
3. Packable Rain Jacket – These rain jackets have come in handy on all of our trips lately as well as hikes when a rain storm can come out of nowhere. These pack down very small into their own stuff bags and come in lots of colors.
4. Down Jacket – Even on our trip to Switzerland in last August it was cold enough to need a jacket. We love these down jackets because they are light, pack down small and have a hood for when you don’t have a hat. We have had ours over a year and they wear really well!
5. Kid Safe Headphones – We have had these for years, I like that they have a cord or they can use bluetooth.
6. Kids Smart Watch – We love these smart watches that can take pictures and video. They count steps and have little games the kids can play. These have been great for waiting in line and keeping the kids busy. These watches do not connect to the internet so there are no safety concerns.
7. Kids Backpack – We love to use these on hikes and on airplanes. THIS ONE is great for toddlers too.
8. Digital Camera – So fun to take photos while traveling, still works after being dropped many times.
9. Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet – Key for travel also these things are tough, they have been dropped so many times.
10. Head Lamp – This is so fun for camping!

In the high country it is full on winter, and while I love winter hiking there is still some great fall like weather here on the Front Range. I have listed six great hikes for the late fall to do before we are into full on winter hiking!

DEVIL’S BACKBONE NATURE TRAIL – LOVELAND

• Devil’s Backbone Nature Trail – 4.3 miles
• Very Little shade so this is a great hike on cooler days!
• open to dogs!
• Loveland closes these trails when they are muddy so be sure to check before driving to the trailhead.

BAKER MEADOW RESERVOIR – NEDERLAND

• Baker Meadow Trail – 2.5 Miles
• Easy Trail – some road noise.

ELDORADO CANYON STATE PARK

• Rattlesnake Gulch Trail 3 miles
• Traction might be necessary after a storm
• Great views from the hotel ruins!

ROXBOROUGH STATE PARK

• Fountain Valley Loop Trail– 2.6 miles (Can be longer or shorter depending on how many overlooks you do, we hiked over 3 miles)
• Traction might be necessary after a storm

RED ROCKS CANYON OPEN SPACE – COLORADO SPRINGS

• Red Rocks Open Space – Manitou Springs, Colorado
• 3.8 mile Loop, can be muddy and icy in spots, traction might be necessary
• Very fun hike for kids
• Garden of the Gods s very near and any hike there is incredible as well

NCAR – BOULDER, COLORADO

• NCAR to Mallory Cave – 3.1 mile out and back
• Moderate with some climbing
• I love hiking here all year long
• Can be icy in spots
• fantastic views, easy access from Boulder.

Last year we decided to all learn to ski together as a family. A little daunting and overwhelming to figure out passes, rentals and gear but in ended up being very rewarding! Along with being overwhelming getting our entire family ski gear can be expensive!

My first advice is to buy used! Kids grow quickly and you can find some great gear gently used.

Do season rentals or trade in programs for skis and boots. Again kids need new sizes almost every year so it’s a good idea to rent for the season or find a trade in program. We have rented from Christy Sports the last two years.

If you don’t have time or access to great used gear here are some links to affordable gear that will keep you happy and safe on the slopes without breaking the bank!

We love these Kids Ski Gloves (on sale now!) and these balaclavas for under their helmets on really cold days.

We have had many different sizes in THESE snow bibs, they have held up well and we have been able to hand them down to Emerald. When the kids where little we liked to get them THESE down bunting.

Under their snow gear the kids both wear THIS base layer from 32 degrees. Then depending on how cold/windy/snowy it is they will wear a sweat suit, jogger set or fleece as a mid layer.

The kids both got helmets and ski goggles from Bolle. The have held up well and keep them warm on the mountain!

While the kids have been learning we got them each a Ski Trainer. It eased my mind a lot that I knew they weren’t going fly off the side of the mountain.

It is hard for the kids to carry their own gear from the car to the lift so we will often load up our off road wagon and just walk in our snow boots. An important part of having kids like skiing is helping them stay comfortable, and not get too tired!

Save this post for later in case you have a day to spend in Reykjavik

When we were booking our tickets to Europe for this fall I found a great deal with Iceland Air. I was slightly annoyed at first that we had a 24 hour layover in Iceland on the way home. Then I realized this was a really fun way to cap off our three week trip!

The airport in near the capital city of Reykjavik where there is tons to do and see. You could easily spend the day exploring Reykjavik or relaxing at one of the many hot springs in the area (looking at you Blue Lagoon!). But we decided we wanted to see as much as possible of Icelands natural beauty. So we rented a car and drove the Golden Circle.

Here is a quick breakdown of our 24 hours in Iceland:

6 PM – Land in Reykjavik, the airport is small and easy to navigate so we were able to get out to the car rental desks quickly. ice held our checked bags for us for free in a secure location so we only had to bring our carry on bags with us.

7 PM – Picked up our rental car and drove 20 minutes to our hotel for the night. We had easy check in and got to sleep as quickly as possible.

6 AM – Wake up, pack our bags and get out on the road to see as much as possible. We stopped in Reykjavik on the way to grab breakfast, the Coffee was amazing!

9 AM – 3PM drive around the “Golden Circle” and stop often to see the sights. I will detail our stops in a future post. We grabbed some local fish and chips for lunch along the way.

4 PM- 6PM Return our car to the airport and check in to fly back to Colorado

This we definitely not enough time to really experience Iceland but we did try to make the most of our time. We can’t wait to go back and give the beautiful country the time it deserves!

More detailed information about what we saw on our tour of the Golden Circle coming soon.

Have you visited Iceland? Where would you like to to spend a 24 hr layover?

Winter is here! At least in the high country it is. We are having a 70 degree here on the front range!

We love visiting Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park any time of year. I often come here when I am not sure what the conditions might be because it is a flat easy hike if you want it to be or you can add on as much as you like.

It was very cold and windy so I am glad I brought all of the kids snow gear, I just wish I had heavier gloves for all of us. We LOVE these winter gloves for skiing and playing in the snow.

We also use THESE micro spikes when it’s icy or we need more traction.

We have had these Target snow boots for years and love them, they work really well and hold up. Cannon is using this pair this year. You don’t always need really expensive gear to get out and adventure. Paired with THESE wool socks their feet stay nice and warm, they are starting to get a bit small, especially for Cannon (7 years) so we are going to grab THIS set.

I have THESE snow boots from Keen that I got the first year we moved to Colorado for winter hiking and snow shoeing. I LOVE these boots after 14 years they are still like new, waterproof, great traction, comfortable and warm. They were such a good buy!

We also bought these balaclavas for the kids for skiing and winter hikes. They wear them under their ski helmets and under knit hats on really cold days.

We have had many different sizes in THESE snow bibs, they have held up well and we have been able to hand them down to Emerald. When the kids where little we liked to get them THESE down bunting.

Under their snow gear the kids both wear THIS base layer from 32 degrees. Then depending on how cold/windy/snowy it is they will wear a sweat suit, jogger set or fleece as a mid layer.

We LOVE these packable, down jackets! They are warm, durable, pack down and are comfortable to wear.

Do you like to hike in the winter?

Do you have a piece of gear that you have loved for over 10 years?